Watch your mail

Heads up. If it hasn’t already come to you in the mailbox, you may receive a public notice regarding penalties for zoning violations and development of your property.

On Dec. 8, we received a postcard in the mail. This was public notice from the Barnes County Planning and Zoning Commission of civil penalties set forth in the North Dakota Century Code if any building or structure is erected, constructed, reconstructed, altered, repaired, converted, maintained, or used in violation of the Development Code.

On Dec. 1, I replaced some shingles that had blown off our house. Carefully read the notice. After Jan. 1, I will need a permit to replace those shingles or I will be in violation of said “Development Code.” There is nothing in the wording of the notice that would lead me to believe that I could even so much as drive a staple in a fencepost without a permit.

This notice showed up 27 days after Veterans Day, the day we set aside to honor those who bled and died for our freedoms. This policy must be repealed and those trying to implement it.

To let this so called “Development Code” stand would be to dishonor our veterans who gave their lives for our freedoms. Rights not used are rights lost. Property rights are the foundation of our free enterprise system.